Oh the Places You'll Run
by Lavender90210
Summary: The life and times of Pavel A. Chekov, as he goes from being a misunderstood Russian whiz-kid to a Starfleet hero. Academy fic
1. Chapter 1

From the beginning now:

Pavel Andreievich Chekov was running. He was on his evening run through the park, letting the cool air rip into his lungs as his feet pounded on the pavement. He loved running, it was what cleared his mind and allowed to feel free. He always ran and he wanted to keep running. He ran away from bullies his whole life, he ran away from his parents and his hometown, he ran away from himself. He was only twelve year old, a genius by many standards, and in his final year at Moscow State University. And he was still running. The University had recruited Pavel when he was nine, having heard rumors of a whiz kid living out in Taganrog. They couldn't resist trying to pull him into their system once they had seen how much of a genius he truly was. Whiz kid, genius, freak, they all had different names for Pavel, and Pavel wasn't sure he liked any of them. He wanted to be Pasha, a caring son and driven person, but never got to be. He was branded as a freak from the time he was three years old and doing advanced geometry. All anyone one saw in Pavel was his brain and his talent, and no one ever thought to care otherwise.

At first he thought that being recruited to a university would make his parents, Andrei and Anna, proud of him. But it only made things worse.  
_"A university? At his age? I always knew he was a freakish child, but this is too much" , his father had yelled at his mother in a drunken stooper. "He finished high school two years ago, he should be working and contributing to the income of this family like any boy his age should be doing! Enough is enough!"  
"Andrei, calm down, he is a smart boy, our Pasha. He should be allowed to go study, just for a few years" Anna said. "Maybe it will be good for him, give a chance to normalize a bit, then he can come back and get a job"  
Pavel had had his ear pressed firmly to his bedroom door, listening to the altercation. He did want to go to the university, it might be a chance for him to make friends and to find someplace in the world where he could fit in.  
Andrei took a step towards his wife and said "Fine. Let the little freak go to the University, he's no good to us here anyway. Too scrawny for labor, fast as hell but weak as can be. Send him away and he can stay away until he can contribute to this family."_

And so that was that. Pavel packed his meager belongings into a duffel bag, bought a shuttle ticket to Moscow and the next month, and began his University career.  
And University was great at first for Pavel, it really truly was. Then, however, reality set in. It was no different than his life back home. Sure he finally had classes that could challenge him in astrophysics and calculus, but he still didn't fit in. He was bullied for being top of his class. For being the little genius freak that was only ten years old and acing his university exams. Professors loved him and wanted him in their classes, to make an example of him and to show people what true talent was. Other students hated him. They hated how someone so young could be so smart, smarter than all the adults that surrounded him. They yelled at him, told him that he didn't belong, that he should go back home to mommy and daddy and watch his cartoons. They were jealous Pavel had always assumed, jealous of his smarts, but the other students always just ridiculed him. He had been beaten up a fair share of times, but that was only when he couldn't out run his bullies.

Pavel wouldn't have even minded the people picking on him and the professors showing him off like some sort of top prize if he had had a friend to support him along the way, but he didn't. The only reason he had truly decided to accept the University's offer to him was because he had a hope and desire deep inside of him that he might achieve some sort of acceptance there. Someone who would see him for who he was, someone who would become his friend. Except Pavel had yet to make any friends in his now three years at Moscow State, he had a few acquaintances sure. People who would say hi to him in the halls, or those who would ask him to be their tutor, but he lacked even one true friend. Pavel was miserable about it, miserable to a breaking point. More than once he had stood on the bridge near the university and contemplated just jumping. One jump to end all the misery and isolation that he felt. One jump and he would be free.

Pavel stopped running and sat on his favorite bench in the park and looked up. He looked up at the stars. He had admired space and the stars ever since he could remember. Some nights when his father would get extremely drunk and angry, he would run outside to the field behind his house and watch the stars. It was an escape for him, an escape from his grim reality. He had always thought that that was where he was truly meant to be, among the stars, looking down at earth. Space was beautiful in a literal and mathematical sense to him. It was full of equations and theories just waiting to be used and tested. Pavel thought that the stars would one day hold his future, and that was why he never took that one jump.

He would sit on that bridge and look down at the river, contemplating the relief that the jump would bring, just to end it all. Then he would look up into the night sky at see the stars twinkling, an invitation to come and join them. Every time on the bridge, Pavel felt the pull of the stars rather than the current of the river.

This is why now, Pavel sat on his favorite bench and looked up to the sky and said " One day I will be up there, I will make sure of it." And with that, Pavel took back off on his run, with a new plan in mind. He was always running in his life, running away from everything. But now Pavel thought, with the ghost of a grin on his face, he was running towards something. Towards his future and his place among the stars. He was running towards Starfleet.


	2. Chapter 2

A New Beginning:

Pavel paced back and forth in the shuttle port, clutching his duffle and PADD close to him. His body was wired on nervous energy and couldn't stay still. This was it. Today was the day that he was making his voyage to San Francisco, and to Starfleet Academy.  
It hadn't been easy to get to this point. He had been working around the clock since he made his decision to go that night in the park. Signing up hadn't been as simple as he had initially thought. He certainly had the academic skill, that was never disputed, the Academy even said he was one of the most qualified applicants they had ever seen.

The problem lied in his age. Pavel was only thirteen years old, the youngest person to ever _apply_ to Starfleet, let alone be accepted in. Because of this, Starfleet had been wary of letting him into the academy for several reasons. As a military organization there are many things that come with working in such an environment, emotional maturity and stability among them. The recruiters had looked into Pavel's home life and found a caring but weak-willed mother, an abuse drunk of a father, and a boy who truly lacked any friends or support system in his life. And yet, after several talks with Pavel and amongst themselves, they decided they could not let skip over his talent and accepted him.

Pavel had never felt so much pure happiness the day the notification had been sent to him. Pure and honest joy, it was not something he had felt in the longest time. As he sat now in the shuttle port eagerly waiting, he read the notice to himself for probably the hundredth time.

Mr. Chekov,

Congratulations! Starfleet Academy is pleased to inform you that you have been granted a spot in the freshman class of 2254. This is a prestigious honor only granted to the most gifted students across the Galaxy. Classes for the fall term will commence on September 1st, however mandatory orientation begins on August 25th. Orientation will include distribution of uniforms, meetings on conduct and policy, as well as housing assignments. Please be advised that your current course scheduled is attached to this document. Welcome Cadet!  
Starfleet Academy  
**Ex Astra Scientia  
**_"From the stars, knowledge"_

Pavel finished the letter again and glanced down at the course schedule. The course schedule had been the thing he really wanted to see. He had tested out of many first year courses and was already fast tracked onto some of the advanced courses. With his skills in Astrophysics he could really take up any position and work out on a space dock for engineering and working on plans for different new ships, but that was not the job he dreamed of. He wanted was to be in the middle of the action, to be the one that someone could count and rely on, he longed to work on the bridge of a spaceship. Navigator he possibly thought, or even a secondary science officer. Whatever the job he knew he wanted to be in the action rather than be side lined. He took one more look at his course schedule and gave the smallest of sighs at one of his classes.

"Engleesh, I can speak it fine," he scoffed.

**Fall Semester Course Schedule: Chekov, Pavel A**

_Advanced Stellar Cartography_\- STC 230

_Warp Theory_-WPT 112  
_Applied Astrophysics_-ASRP 304  
_Introduction to Xenobiology_-XBIO 101 (**Mandatory Freshman Cadet Course**)  
_Starfleet History_-STFL 102 (**Mandatory Freshman Cadet Course**)  
_English for non-native speakers_-ENGN 105

Pavel looked at the English class and scoffed. He felt his English was pretty good for only have been learning the language for nine months! Looking down at his PADD, he forgot to look where he was going and smacked right into a rather large and muscular man and fell down.

"Watch where you're walking kid! Shuttle ports can be dangerous places if you take the wrong step"

"Da, er I mean yes I vill be more careful sorwy" Pavel muttered as he pulled himself off the ground, cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

The man glanced down at him and ask, "Are you getting on the Starfleet shuttle? Ain't you a little young to going out on a visit by yourself?"

"Vell, yes zir I suppose I am young, I am only zirteen, the youngest person to be excepted into Starfleet!" Pavel stated as he puffed himself up with pride on that last statement.

The man stared at him a good long second then broke out into a hearty laughter. "Kid you almost had me going there! I'm sure you'll get there one day, have fun visiting your parents or whoever at the academy."

Pavel glared slightly at the man, "no zir, it iz true, I am going to ze Academy!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say kiddo, just don't burn yourself on a phaser!" And with that the man ruffled Pavel's hair and proceed to board the shuttle.  
Pavel sighed and followed suite onto the craft. He had a feeling that he would be getting a lot of these comments at the Academy, and not all of them would be as sweet. He had had plenty of the you're-too-young-for-this talk his whole life, and he was ready to prove everyone wrong.

He tightened his seatbelt as the shuttle prepared for takeoff. With one glance out the window, he gave his silent good-bye to his beloved Russia. Russia was the best place in the entire galaxy, and he couldn't help but feel sadness as it faded out of his view.

Russia would always be there for him, he thought, but now he was enroute to his new home, not just for the next four years, but the rest of his life. Starfleet.


	3. Chapter 3

Welcome Cadets

He had never felt so small in his entire life. Granted Pavel was the only thirteen year old in a swarm of adults, but they were all _huge_. The man sitting to his right had to be no less than 200lbs of solid muscle, and the guy to his left looked like he could knock Pavel down with a flick of his wrist. He swallowed somewhat nervously and pulled on the collar of his brand new cadet reds.

When he received his cadet uniform yesterday, he couldn't help but smile like the kid he truly was. The uniform was a crisp apple red, buttoned up to the neck in the front and embroidered with the gold Starfleet insignia on the collar. The pants were pleated and just tight enough that they flattering to everyone that wore them. The final piece to the uniform were the Starfleet issued boots. They were black and bulky, high quality material, light enough to be able to run in them, but sturdy enough to be able handle almost any situation.

He sat there, new boots and all, and waited for the admiralty to start speaking. Surprisingly enough for Chekov, Captain Christopher Pike would be the one to address the new Cadets. He glanced up on stage as he saw Pike approach the podium and look over the sea of red Cadets.

"Hello, Cadets. I'm pleased to welcome each and everyone of you to Starfleet Academy. You were accepted here because you are the best that there is to offer. While you have made into the Academy thus far, rest assured that the journey from here is anything but easy."

Pike looked up from the podium and glanced over the crowd in front of him before continuing.

"The Academy will test your strength: Physical, emotional, and psychological. It will push you in many way and force you to learn how to deal with situations you could have never even dreamed of. It will be easier for some of you, and more difficult for others. Your time here is short. Some of you will graduate in three or four years, others may be longer. The goal of the Academy is not treat you coddle you like students and to take care of you; it is to prepare you to be an honorable and working member of Starfleet. Each of you will chose some path to focus on, whether it be xenobiology or engineering; and while the Academy will not hold your hand to become a member of Starfleet, it will however, teach you everything you need to know in order to be a successful officer one day. I wish all of you a great time here at the Academy, and maybe one day I'll even see some of you aboard my ship."

With that the Cadets applauded politely and respectfully. Pike was quite well liked, but they knew how serious could be.  
Pavel sat still in seat, hearing the next few speakers go one about rules and such, but not listening to them. He was too caught up in what Pike had said. His speech had both made Pavel excited, but more nervous at the same time. Pavel sat there and chewed on the idea that _maybe _he was a little too young to be here. Everyone around him had so much more experience than him. While fairly certain he was academically suprerior to most of his fellow cadets, he knew that he strongly lacked the life experience. They had probably all had a good childhood, wild teenage years filled with sex and parties, at least _some _real life experience, and he didn't even have any facial hair. He was happy to prove them wrong, but nervous that he might not be able to.

With all of this running around in his mind, Pavel hadn't even realized that they had been dismissed to go and get assigned housing.

"Hey kid! Pay attention, get up!"

Pavel practically jumped out of his seat, not realizing that his fellow classmates were already headed towards the door. "Ah yez, sorwy zir!" Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, he quickly joined the line of cadets to get his dorm assignment.

Pavel jogged over to the comm screen where the dorm postings were, scanning rapidly for his name, he came across his room and his assigned roommate.  
Chekov, Pavel A  
Housing: Discovery Hall Undergraduate Dormitory, Room 612  
Roommate: Sulu, Hikaru

Sulu….Pavel pondered the name, nervous to meet to the person who matched it. He desperately hoped that whoever he was that he would be accepting of him. Pavel knew that it would be hard to live with him, a thirteen year old, who had been crowned a genius, and a thick Russian accent to go along with everything else. All he could do was hope that this Sulu character would at least be nice to him.  
With a deep calming breath Pavel turned and headed towards the undergraduate dorms, anxious to try and find his place among the adults of Starfleet academy that surrounded him.

A/N: It's been like a year since I updated this! I'm sorry about that, but I am making a promise to update this more often. I'll be aiming for one chapter a week from here on out!


	4. Chapter 4

"Discovery Hall…Discovery Hall…" Pavel muttered to himself. "Eet has to be around here somevhere.I can't believe I am lost on my first day."

He looked up to see he was standing at the base of Cochrane Hall and adjacent to the Student Affairs building, but, of course no Discovery Hall in sight. With a long heaved sigh he decided he needed to ask one of the other cadets that were near him.

About ten yards in front of him were two cadets, one with brown hair and a scowl on his face, and the other a blonde with smug grin who had an aura about him that he simply _belonged _at the academy. Pavel walked up to them anxiously, catching the end of the conversation they were having.

"It's hilarious isn't, first you throw up on me, but now we're roommates! This is gonna be a great year Bones!"

The man whom the blonde had dubbed "Bones" had noticed Chekov just then.

"You need something kid?" The man drawled, frowning at Chekov.

"Umm, yes sor, I was wondering if you knew how I could find ze Discovery Hall? This is vhere my dorm ees?" Chekov himself cringed at how young and nervous his voice sounded.

"Woah wait you're actually a cadet here?" the blonde interjected loudly, but not rudely. "You can't be more than what fourteen?"

"Da," Pavel muttered, staring down at his feet, face getting redder by the moment. There was no need to tell the man that he in fact only turned fourteen last week.

A low whistle drew his attention up from his feet as he saw the Bones man staring at him more critically then before. "Jeez, kid you've got a tough road ahead of you, at that age. Discovery Hall is back over on the west end of campus near the fields," he gestured throwing a thumb over his right shoulder.

"Zank you wery much."

Pavel pivoted quickly and didn't look back. He felt his age more than ever now that he was here and classes were getting ready to start. He just hoped that not every one would look at him differently because of his age. What he wanted more than anything, was a true friend. Someone that would see Pavel as Pasha, and not some awkward young braniac Starfleet had found from Russia.

He walked quickly towards the west end of campus, folding his arms tightly around himself as he went. San Francisco had an ever present chill, due to the large amount of fog and its proximity to the ocean. Pavel was used to the cold weather, being from Russia, but some how to him this cold felt deeper, like it went all the way down to his bones.

After ten minutes of walking, Pavel finally reached his destination and home from the at least the next year, if not more. A sign in front of him read:

**Discovery Hall: **Cadet Dormitory

The building was a beautiful combination of brick and glass. It gave the look of being sleek and modern, but also managed to look inviting as a place to live in. He glanced up and saw the building was about twenty stories tall, with a large glass elevator that slide down the middle of it. Pavel took one last look at the exterior before stepping inside and onto the elevator, pressing the key to the 6th floor.

The elevator made a faint chime sound as it the large steel doors opened up to the 6th floor hall. Stepping out of the elevator and looking around his first thought was that it reminded him much of the dormitories he had stayed at previously in Moscow. One long running hallway covered in a rough looking tan colored rug, with twelve doors, six on each side of the hallway. He turned left and followed the numbers as he got to the end of the hall and found room 612. Quickly he entered his passcode into the touch pad near the handle and unlocked the door.

The room was, at first glance, rather typical of any dorm he had been in. There were two beds, one on each side of the room pushed against the wall. At the foot of each bed was a small wooden desk with a lamp on it. Just inside of the doorway there was a very tiny kitchenette to his right, with a small sink, mini fridge, and microwave, and to his left two chest of drawers.

In between the two beds was a door, that Pavel could only guess led to the bathroom.

Pavel focused his gaze on the two beds, determining which one he liked more, the decision to chose the bed on the right came quickly, once he saw the view from the window next to the bed. The window looked right over to the bay, with a perfect view of the towering Golden Gate Bridge. The Bridge may be several centuries old at this point, but every time Pavel sees it he can't help but admire the stunning design of it.

He is quickly pulled out of his trance gazing out the window however, when he hears the quiet electronic click of the correct passcode being entered into the door. Pavel stood up quickly and smoothed out his uniform, trying quickly to look presentable, as Hikaru Sulu walked into the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Hikaru Sulu entered the room with a large black duffel slung over a shoulder on his 6 foot tall, well toned frame. He looked calm, professional, and confident as he stood there in his cadet reds and Starfleet issued combat boots. He had a handsomely chiseled face, with jet black hair and rich brown eyes.

Pavel approached the man "Hello, I am Pavel Chekov, yor roommate," he nervously blurted out.

Hikaru eyed Chekov for a moment, clearly surprised that is roommate was literally a child, before extending a hand and a small warm smile to him.

"Nice to meet you Pavel, I'm Hikaru Sulu."

"I hope you do not mind zat I took ze bed near ze window," Chekov muttered, blushing slightly "I, uh like ze view of ze bridge."

"No worries, I grew up here in San Francisco, so I've had a view of the bridge my whole life."

Chekov was unsure of how to respond or what to say next, so merely opted to sit down on his bed.

Sulu walked over and dumped his duffle on the bed opposite Chekov and sat down on the dull grey comforter. A heavy silence settled over the room, before Sulu addressed the elephant in the room.

"So, uh, Chekov, how old are you exactly?"

"Um, I turned fourteen last month," he said, avoiding eye contact with Sulu.

"Okay, so you must be some sort of genius then I guess. Huh, I wonder how I got assigned to room with you."

Chekov cringed internally. Here it was, the one thing he had been dreading. Of course Sulu was upset about being assigned to a room with him. A lousy fourteen year old who couldn't speak English very well and couldn't even _shave_ yet. Sulu was probably going to switch rooms, complaining how he didn't join Starfleet to be a baby sitter.

"I understand if you vant to be reassigned, you vere not expecting zis."

Sulu's eyes shot up and he look quite startled at what Chekov had just said.

"No, no it's okay. I mean, you definitely weren't what I was expecting for a roommate, but I'm not about to switch rooms or anything. Not unless you have some sort of weird habit you aren't telling me about."

Chekov allowed himself a small smile at that, chuckling lightly, "No zhere is nothing! I don't even snore."

Sulu smiled back at him, "Well I for one am glad to hear that, I'm such a light sleeper."

With the ice now broken, the two of them continued to have a somewhat introductory conversation for the better part of the next hour. Chekov gave Sulu some details on Russia, and where he had studied before Starfleet. Sulu in turn opened up a bit by telling Chekov about growing up in the Bay Area with his sisters and parents.

"What did your parents think when you told them Starfleet wanted to recruit you? I bet they were proud of you."

Chekov, for a moment, was unsure how to answer the question. Did he tell Sulu the truth? That his father was a drunk and thought he was a little freak? That he was glad to have Chekov gone? That is mother was unable to stand up to such a man? That she and him cowered in fear from him? How was he supposed to tell Sulu that his parents were more ashamed and angry of Chekov than proud?

"Oh, um yes. Zhey are wery proud. My mama tells me how proud she is of me all ze time. And ,um, my Papa keeps a framed holo of my acceptance letter on ze fridge." Chekov lied, hopefully well enough to convince Sulu.

"That's nice" Sulu said, with a look in his eye that clearly said he did not fully believe Chekov.

But to Chekov's relief he did not push that matter.

Sulu stood up off his bed, stretching his back and neck with a satisfying pop.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go grab some food from the mess, I'm starving. Want to join?"

Going to the mess to face the rest of cadet class seemed like a daunting task. "Um I zink I should stay here. I have so much unpacking to do still."

Sulu eyed Chekov's half of the room where everything was neatly folded into the drawers, his toiletries arrange precisely in the bathroom, and his shoes tucked under his bed.

"Are you sure man? I know it's got to be a little overwhelming for you being here, but you have to face the music eventually."

"Face ze music?" Chekov asked.

"Yeah, it's a phrase, just like you know, face what's coming head on. You won't be able to hide in the room the whole time you are at the academy."

Logically, Chekov knew this, but he couldn't help being nervous about meeting more of his classmates. Sure, Sulu was nice to him so far. He probably was seeing Chekov as a kid brother, but Pavel was sure that once classes started, not all of the other cadets would be so kind.

"Okay, I vill go to ze mess with you"

"Great. C'mon Pav, it won't be too bad."

Pav. For the first time in his life someone had given Pavel a nickname. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Chekov's first semester at the academy flew by faster than he thought it would. He quickly became adjusted to life at the academy, despite being the youngest cadet there. Sulu and him had become close friends, and while their relationship was still very much big brother-little brother, Pavel was just happy knowing there was someone he could trust. Sulu had met many new friends in his piloting courses through the semester, and while he would go out to bars and hang out with them, he always made sure to include Pavel in his day. Sometimes it was just eating lunch in the mess together, watching a holovid in the room (Sulu was a fan of 21st century classics like The Lord of the Rings), or him joining Pavel for his daily run around the academy. Running with Sulu was Chekov's favorite activity to do together, even if he did have to slow down his speed so that Hikaru could keep up with him ("Jesus Pav, what kind of pace are you setting?").

It turned out too, that most of the cadets who met Pavel liked him. Sure, a lot of the girls he met commented on how cute he was would ruffle his curls, but the female cadets that lived in his building were like the older sisters that Pavel had always wanted. They we're kind to him and very much over protective. He had top notch grades in every subject (including his stupid English course) and he had even had started a small tutoring group in which he helped fellow cadets with their physics and navigation assignments. Of course, there still were a few cadets who couldn't stand Pavel. Most of these cadets were part of a group of twelve or so HUGE guys on the security track. They would make it a point to trip Chekov in the hallways, mock him openly and make fun of his accent, and bully him for the (excellent) grades he was making. They could not stand it that Chekov kept raising the curve in their classes, that someone so much younger than them was succeeding at everything better than they were. Luckily none of the incidences had gotten violent or dangerous thus far, mostly because Chekov have the advantage of being able to outrun all of them. As much as the bullies bothered him, in many ways he was used to it, as it was something he had been forced to deal with it his entire life. It didn't bother him as much as did back in University however, as something had changed. As he looked out at the Bay and the academy grounds from his window, and Sulu catching up on an assignment, he realized it was the first time in a long time that he had a true home.


	6. Chapter 6

Chekov was about ready to smash his head against the wall. He had never hated a class so much in his life.

"Let's try this one more time shall we young Mr. Chekov? Repeat after me, 'I am a Starfleet cadet, and am studying advanced warp theory and navigation.'"

Chekov tried really, _really _hard not to roll his eyes as his English professor.

"I am a Starfleet cadet and am studying adwanced varp theory and nawigation."

"AdVanced and navigation. Let's try that again."

"Adwanced."

"No, advanced. One more time."

"Adw-w-v-anced."

His professor beamed at him.

"That's much better Cadet. You've made some improvements these past few weeks, keep it up. You'll be speaking perfect Federation Standard in no time."

Chekov opened his mouth to make a retort that he already knew how to speak Federation Standard thank you very much, when thankfully the bell rang. Chekov bolted out of the classroom as fast as he could, desperate to get away from the pointless class and the professor who coddled him like a five year old.

Luckily for Chekov, his mandatory English class was the last of the day, meaning he was free to go back to his dorm and relax, perhaps even go on a nice run later, to ease some of his pent up frustration.

He reached his room to find Sulu hunched over his desk, obviously hard at work on some assignment. He looked up and gave Pavel a small smile when he entered the room.

"Hey Pav, how was your day?"

Chekov let out a long sigh and flopped down face first onto his bed.

"I ht mh shtpd englh clss."

Sulu chuckled slightly, "You're going to have to lift your face off your bed if you want me to be able to hear you."

Chekov peered up at Sulu and rolled himself up onto his side to face Sulu.

"I hate my stupid eeenglish class. Zhe profezor treats me like a child and makes me repeat dumb zhings back to her. It iz just my accent zhat iz bad, I know Standard!"

"Sorry Pav, I know certain teachers are annoying, but hey at least you only have one semester of English to take. Then you're finished right?"

Pavel nodded, "Thiz iz true, but I vill haf to take at least one semester of an alien language."

"Ugh, same here man. I'm thinking of taking Andorian or Vulcan, but I haven't decided yet."

"Vell, vhatewer you take let me know so we can do it together. What assignments are you working on now?"

Sulu stared down at the work on his desk, "I have an assignment due tomorrow for my navigational pilot course. We have to plot out the orbital route we are going to take before our final flight next week, and if any of our calculations are wrong then we automatically get dropped a letter grade. It's stressing me out to say the least."

"Hmm, let me know when you hav finished, and I vill look over ze calculations for you!"

Sulu breathed a sigh of relief. "You'd do that for me? Thanks Pav, I owe you one."

Chekov blushed slightly, "It iz nothing!"

The two sat quietly for a while after that. Sulu sat at his desk, working diligently, while Pavel lied down on his bed with his PADD, reading over his Xenobiology lectures. Xenobiology was far from his favorite course, but he had no choice in taking it as it was a mandatory freshman cadet course. Sulu got assigned to the second semester course, which was too bad, Chekov could have used a friend in the class. While he was glad Sulu was his friend, Chekov was still disappointed that Sulu was his only friend. He had met a few people he would now consider acquaintances, such as the people in his study group, but still Sulu was the only person he could rely on to hang out with or simply go grab dinner with. He figured things will change as he grows up a little, it was still quite obvious that no wanted really wanted to hang out with a fourteen year old.

Lost in his own mind for a little, Chekov realized he had been reading over the same slide on Vulcan digestive systems for about ten minutes. He needed to go out and clear his head.

"Hey, I zink I am going to go for a run before dinner, want to join?"

Sulu turned around to face him, "No offense Pavel, but running with you sucks. You kick my ass and I can barely keep up with you! Besides I've really got to focus on these calculations for another hour or so."

Chekov looked slightly crestfallen.

"But hey, how about I meet you in the caf for dinner at say 1900 hours?"

"Okay, zat sounds good, I vill meet you zhere after my run!"

Pavel winded up and down the steep streets of San Francisco, he felt such happiness with the city. It was full of life and color, and Chekov was happy to explore a new part of the city every time he ran. Letting his mind go blank as he focused on his feet hitting the pavement. It always felt so natural for him to run, like he was born for it. Despite the fact that he knew he ran fast, it never felt difficult from him. Running freed his mind and allowed him to just be.

He glanced down at the chronometer on his wrist, it was already 1845! How had he already been running nearly an hour. He didn't want to be late to meet Sulu, besides he was pretty starving himself. He turned left on the next street, and followed the road back towards the main campus.

He approached the gates near the outer fields and noticed one of the hand-to-hand combat classes was just ending. The hand to hand combat class that Pavel knew contained all the beefy security track cadets who had at least a foot and 100lbs on Chekov just loved to mess with him. He was hoping they would not notice him jog by. Unfortunately they did.

"Hey! Whiz kid! Russia Boy!"

Chekov ignored them and kept jogging.

"Hey! We're trying to talk to you here!"

Three of them stepped out onto the sidewalk and blocked his path.

The "leader" of the group, Johnson maybe? Stood in front of Chekov with his arms crossed.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry little guy? Got to go do some more homework, make sure you can get over 100% in every class?"

"Please mowve, I haf to get somewhere." Chekov tried to push past them but Johnson grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Let go of me!"

"He calm down little fella, we're just having some fun!" he said has he shoved Chekov so hard he tripped and fell to the ground.

"черт возьми!" Chekov cried as his knee slammed into the pavement. That was going to leave a nasty bruise.

"Stop zhis, please I need to go." Pavel pushed himself up off the ground quickly, trying to dispel any embarrassment.

"Aw the little Brainiac faggot has somewhere to be. Maybe he needs to meet up with his friends." Johnson's other two lackey's sneered at Chekov. One of them grabbed him by the bicep and squeezed his arm, hard. "Oh wait guys, he has no friends except his good looking Asian roommate. I bet he won't even pity fuck you!"

Enraged by this Chekov tried his hardest to break through the grip on his arm, and nearly succeeded until Johnson caught him by the shoulder and shoved him hard to the ground again. Unfortunately Chekov wasn't quite able to position himself correctly to properly break his fall. His wrist was stretched out in front of him and hit the ground awkwardly with a sickening cracking sound.

Chekov yelped in pain as tears sprung to his eyes. Despite being in intense pain, he rushed to his feet and took off in a sprint, just wanting to get away.

A/N: Guys I'm sorry it's been so long! This semester, my thesis, and grad school applications all got in the way of everything. But I'm full of new energy because of that beautiful new Star Trek Beyond trailer! I'm hoping to update this quite a bit over break!


	7. Chapter 7

Chekov finally turned the corner of a building where he thought Johnson and his crew wouldn't think to look for him. He slowed down from his break neck pace and jogged over to a nearby bench. He sat down, exhausted, both emotionally and physically. His breathing was shallow and rapid from a combination of sprinting, adrenaline, and the sobs that were beginning to rack through his small frame.

He felt light rain begin to drizzle down from the now darkened skies over San Francisco. He pulled the hood of this light weight jacket over his head and brought his knees to his chest. God, he hated this. He hated that he was crying, he hated that he was being picked on, and he hated the fact that right now he missed home more than anything. He thought about how at least at home his mother loved him, even if his father really didn't. He could practically smell the potato soup she used to make on particularly cold and dreary winter days, which never failed to cheer him up. He even missed Russia, it was after all his home. His wrist throbbed and his knee was killing him, but he couldn't bring himself to call for help. He knew he was already pretty late to miss his dinner with Sulu, but he definitely couldn't face him know. What would his roommate see when he saw Chekov curled in on himself, crying away in the freezing cold rain? He didn't want to alarm Sulu of his trouble with the bullies, he didn't want to snitch to anyone and give his assailants even _more _of reason to taunt him.

Chekov was ten minutes late to dinner, and really Sulu wasn't worried. But that of course was a lie. The thing is, Chekov was about the most punctual person Sulu had ever met in his life. The kid was ridiculous when it came to matters of time. If Chekov said he was going to go for a 30 minute run, the run would be almost exactly 30 minutes, no more no less. If he had to be somewhere at 9:00 am, you could bet that Chekov would arrive at either 8:59 or 9:00, 9:01 would be considered late, and therefore rude. Maybe is was some weird Russian thing, either way being on time was just one of those things that was incredibly…_Chekov. _So yes, Sulu had to admit to himself that at now 7:11, he was just a little worried about Chekov. What if he had gotten lost on a run? Or mugged? Or dropped his communicator? Sulu tried to shake those thoughts off however, it was just ten minutes late, the simplest explanation here was that Chekov was simply just that, late. Really, he shouldn't get ahead of himself.

Still, for some reason Sulu couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Noticing it had started to rain, he pulled on his jacket and headed out the door from the caf.

Sulu's first, and most obvious spot to check was their dorm, he had doubted Chekov would be in there, but still it would be dumb of him not to check. Quickly punching in the access code to door to their room, Sulu was met with quiet emptiness. Chekov wasn't there and clearly hadn't been back, as his Cadet reds were neatly folded on the bed and his running shoes were missing. Frowning to himself, Sulu closed the door and resumed his search.

Sulu was beginning to think that he should call campus security if he was unable to locate Chekov in the next few minutes. It was now nearly 7:45, and still no sign of Pavel. Sulu had called him several times only to discover that Chekov's comm was off. He has checked the gym, most of Pavel's classrooms, the library, the caf one more time, yet still no sign of him. Sulu had almost reached the outer gates of campus and given up hope when he thought he heard someone crying. Following the noise, he turned the corner of the building closest to him to see Chekov.

The sight of him broke Sulu's heart. Chekov was curled up on his side, hood over his face and knees pulled to his chest. His back was to Sulu, but he could see that Chekov was shaking, perhaps from crying or cold, or maybe a combination of them both.

"Pavel," Sulu said gently as he walked towards Chekov.

"Pasha?"

Sulu put a hand on Chekov's shoulder, startling Chekov into sitting up.

"Hikaru!" Chekov exclaimed quickly trying to wipe his eyes on his now soaked jacket.

"I am sorwy I haf missed dinner!"

"Woah, slow down Pavel, what's happened? Are you okay? Shit, you're freezing, let's get you inside."

Sulu reached down and grabbed Chekov's wrist with the intention of helping the younger man up when Chekov let out a wail like a wounded animal.

"Woah, are you hurt? Pavel what's going on?"

"I zink my wrist is broken," Chekov muttered gingerly cradling his wrist against his chest.

"How did this happen?"

"I, uh, I fell running, ze rain made ze sidevalk slippery."

Sulu, wasn't buying word of it.

"Pavel, was it those security cadets? Which ones? What else is hurt?"

Chekov looked away from Sulu, "No, I told you I slipped."

"That's bullshit Pavel. If you had just slipped you wouldn't be out here, near hypothermic, crying in the rain!" Sulu crossed his arms and waited for Chekov to respond.

"Fine. It vas them, okay? But I vill not be reporting it so don't even ask. Nyet, I will not make myself ewen more ov a target."

Sulu could understand why Pavel wouldn't want to snitch, even though he didn't agree with it. What kind of jerks pick on a kid for Christ's sake?

"Okay, Pavel. If that's what you want. But I am taking to you to clinic to get checked out. Now tell me the truth, are you hurt anywhere else?"

Chekov finally met Sulu's eyes with his own bloodshot ones, "My knee is also wery bruised, but zat iz it."

Sulu nodded. "Okay well, just wrap your arm around my shoulders and we can walk over like that, okay?"

"Da."

"Doctor Mccoy, you have a patient in bay 5," Nurse Frey said sweetly to him.

"Let me guess, another idiot trying to get out of PT for the week?" he muttered in response.

"Not quite," she responded handing him a PADD containing the patient file.

McCoy glanced down at the file in question, first year Cadet by the name Pavel Chekov. He reached bay find to find a very _very _young cadet sitting atop a biobed accompanied by another, slightly older, but still very young (especially to McCoy) cadet.

"Mr. Chekov," he growled, "what seems to be the problem this evening?"

He pulled out his tricorder to scan the kid while simultaneously checking him with his own eyes. The kid was thoroughly soaked, probably freezing in a thin rain jacket and his shorts. The doctor could hardly miss the impressive bruise that was blooming across Chekov's knee; the dark purple coloring standing out again his pale skin. By the way Chekov was gently holding his wrist and the amount of swelling around it, he'd bet on it being broken.

"Um, vell…" the kid began clearly unsure of what to say. He glanced back at the older cadet who gave him a sort of half-nod.

"I, uh, tripped. In ze rain. It vas stupeed, took a corner too fast."

The tricorder beeped, signaling the scan was complete. The results showed a hairline fracture in his ulna and a cracked hamate bone. Additionally, it indicated that Chekov had two large hematoma, one on his knee and another on his upper bicep.

"So you fell running, huh? And broke your wrist in two places?"

"Da."

"Take off your shirt." McCoy ordered.

"Ez this necessary?" Chekov asked.

"I won't ask again, cadet."

Admitting defeat, Chekov peeled off his rain jacket and took off his shirt.

"Shit Pavel! Doesn't that hurt?" Sulu exclaimed.

Chekov glanced down at his upper arm. The spot where he had been grabbed now had a pretty wicked looking bruise. And unfortunately, it pretty obvious that it was in the shape of a hand.

"Not as much as much as my wrist." Pavel muttered, refusing to meet anyone's eye.

Doctor McCoy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Look kid, I'm sure it's tough being your age at the academy, but you shouldn't have to stand for this. You could report it."

"And zhen be labelled as a tattle? Nyet, I vill not report it!"

"I tried to tell him the same thing, Doctor, but his mind is made up," Sulu added in haste.

McCoy waved a hand, "It's your choice, just watch your back out there kid. There are a lot of jerks around this campus who's egos are too fragile to see someone that much younger than them excelling at such

With that, McCoy set to fixing up the kid's injuries, namely a run through both the dermal and osteogenerators. Once the bruises had faded to yellow and the bones in Chekov's wrist had been repaired and splinted, McCoy released him.

"All right, you're all set. Just take it easy on the wrist this next week, and leave the splint on for the next three days."

"Zank you Doctor McCoy."

"Anytime, but I hope I don't see you for anything else like that again. Watch your back."

Chekov nodded at the good Doctor.

Sulu and Chekov walked out of the infirmary both tired and hungry. Neither of them had had dinner and it was already 10:00.

Sulu glanced over at Chekov, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Take-out Chinese? My treat."

Chekov nodded appreciatively, "Can we get some dumplings, too?"

Sulu chuckled lightly, "Yeah, Pav, we can get some dumplings too."

A/N: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed/followed. It means a lot! And Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by New Years!


	8. Chapter 8

"So when are you headed home from Christmas?" Sulu panted as they finished their run in chilled air of the San Francisco winter. "I know my family wants me home for at least the week between Christmas and the New Year. Says my sisters are dying to see me."

Chekov froze. Christmas. A two week break from the Academy. He had almost forgotten the fact that tomorrow was the start of the final week of the fall semester. Truth be told, he hadn't planned on going back to Russia for Christmas. It would be too awkward, too painful. Part of him did really want to go to see his Mother, but he also wasn't sure if he could face his Father. He and his Father had always had a difficult relationship, and considering the state of his Father when he last left home to come to the academy he was in no hurry to see him. He knew a trip home would be full of anger and negativity.

"Pav?" Sulu chirped up.

Realizing he had been stuck in his head for too long, he quickly bent down and busied himself with his shoe laces.

"I do not know, I zink I vill stay here, do some work in ze labs."

"Wait you aren't going to Russia?Just the other week you were going on for hours about Russian Christmas and how Russians had the first Christmas trees instead of the Germans! And come on about the labs, even they close down for a week here."

Chekov could feel his face turning a shade of deep pink that he couldn't blame on the cold weather.

"Um, vell, actually my Mozer and Father will be on vacation for Christmas zis week, uh private get avay with my Aunt and Uncle, no kids."

Sulu eyed him suspiciously for a minute, but thankfully didn't challenge his answer.

"Uh okay, that's too bad for you then Pasha. But hey let's get back to the dorm, I think my ass is about to freeze off!"

Relieved at the change in conversation, Chekov finally looked up from his shoelaces.

"Race you zhere!" He yelled as he took off sprinting around Sulu, "first one back gets ze shower!"

Sulu shook his head and took off running too, knowing that he had already lost all hope of winning.

The last week of the semester flew by in a flurry of exams for Chekov. He had a final or two every single day, with some of them lasting up to four hours. He was confident that he had aced every test, even, to his relief, his ridiculous English course. Though he didn't want to admit he thought that was probably his most difficult exam, he's take Warp Theory exams aby day over the ridiculous English one. That was one class he wasn't going to _remotely _(new fancy word he learned) miss, or the professor that oohed and awed at him like three year old.

As he lied sprawled out on his bed gazing at the Bay, it occurred to him that he had barely seen Sulu this week. Granted they had both had busy week; Sulu had been practically living in the flight sim labs all week. He had some of his first major piloting finals, both practical and theoretical ones throughout the week and was completely concentrated on them. Though he had yet to see Sulu fly a shuttle, Chekov had often imagined what it would look like. Sulu, while carefree and out going, had lazer like focus when it came to anything concerning flying. He mused that flying for Sulu, was like running for him.

Just as his mind was luring him into taking a nap, he heard the soft telltale electronic click of his door opening.

Sulu walked in, dumped his bag on the floor and, similarly to Chekov, flopped face first down on his bed—boots and all. For a few minutes, both occupants of the roomed lied silent, embracing their first few moments of true rest and relaxation since the beginning of the hellish week.

Then, "Pav?"

"Mmpf"

"Are you still staying here for the holidays?"

Chekov cringed internally, but rolled to his side to face Sulu anyways. After the way this conversation ended the last time, he knew it was going to come up again eventually.

"Da"

"Okay, but why? I know you get homesick and miss it. I don't think your parents would take off during Christmas. What's the real reason?"

Pavel was silent for a moment,eyes downcast as he nervously fiddled with his sheets, bunching up the cool fabric and flattening it out again.

A few more moments of silence and then…

"My father hates me" he muttered.

Sulu narrowed his eyes and turned his head slightly. "But I thought you said your parents were ecstatic to send you off to the academy. Proud. "

"Vell, I mean it vasn't a total lie."

"Ok….?"

"My mozer has alvays been my biggest supporter," Chekov began quietly.

"…my Father not so much. I haf alvays been a smart kid, since I vas wery little. Imagine my parents surpirse when I could do calculus in kindergarten. My mozer, enjoyed my smarts, vas wery proud to haf an intelligent son. My Father didn't mind at first, he saw it as kind of a strange quirk. Thought it vas just a cute trait, but that it vasn't that important. But…my Father is a wery proud Russian who has alvays wanted a strong son, not 'a weakling faggot with nothing but a brain'".

Chekov squeezed his eyes shut, trying to prevent tears from spilling over.

"With ze accelerated high school, zhen university, I zink that ze Academy was ze last straw for him. My mozer does not stand up to his aggressive vays. She is too afraid. My Father told me zat I would not make it as a child in an adults word, and to not come home with my tail between my legs. He told me he vas disappointed in my as a son."

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"My mozer signed my permission slip and told me she would alvays look up to the stars and zink of me, and zat she loves me."

He sniffled and tried to wipe his tears away without much luck.

"I miss her."

"Pavel…Pasha…I'm so sorry."

Unsure of what to do with Chekov crying, Sulu made the move to sit on the bed next to Chekov and pull him into what he hoped was a brotherly, and comforting, hug.

"Your Dad has nothing to be ashamed of, you are without a doubt one of the smartest and toughest people I have ever met. Don't forget that. And you are accelerating here in 'an dults world'"

"Zank you 'Karu" Chekov said somewhat glumly.

"You know," Sulu began, pulling out of the hug to face Chekov, "you're more than welcome to spend Christmas at my house."

Chekov look startled. "Nyet! I cannot ruin your time vith your family. Zhey do not know me, I vill not be welcomed. Zhey will not want to talk vith me, I do not want to ruin your holidays."

"Woah man, relax! First of all, I told my Mom last week you weren't going home to Russia and she practically freaked out and then _demanded _that I invite you, she loves having guests. So you are way more than welcome to come. Second of all, my family loves everyone, you know me so by extension they know you. They'll love you! Please? It'll be way more fun than sitting alone in the dorm."

Chekov chewed nervously on his lip.

"Are you sure it vould not be a bother?"

"Not at all. Seriously my mom will kill me if you don't come."

Chekov smiled sheepishly, "Vell…I would not vant to disappoint Mama Sulu."

"Haha that's my boy!" Sulu exclaimed giving Chekov a light nuggie.

Chekov gave him a playful shove in return.

Maybe this wouldn't be the worst Christmas after all…

A/N: I'm SO sorry its been 3,000 years since I've updated it. With all the new buzz around Beyond, I'm feeling like writing again!


	9. Chapter 9

Sulu was very much asleep, and intended to stay that way for a few more hours, thank you very much. That was his plan at least.

"Vake up Hikaru!"

Sulu cracked one-eye open to see a freshly awoken Chekov, bed head and all, standing a foot away from his face, staring at him with absolute enthusiasm. He shut his eyes again with a slight groan.

"I know you are avake. I saw your eyes open."

"If I pretend to be asleep, will you go away? What time is it anyway?" Sulu questioned miserably.

"Its 0630! And more importantly it eez Christmas morning so you must vake up early! It eez tradition!" Chekov chirped cheerfully to a still grumpy Sulu.

"Shit that's way too early to be up. I haven't got up that early on a Christmas morning since I was a kid."

"Oh."

Sulu cringed and sat up, realizing his choice of words. Every once in a while he almost forgot that Chekov still _was _a kid.

"Sorry, Pav. I didn't mean it like that. Anyways I'm awake now," he said with a casual wave of his hand. "What's the plan?"

"Now ve exchange gifts! And then of course, ve go get food!"

Sulu yawned widely and held up his finger, "No, first I go replicate some coffee for us and then we exchange gifts."

Several minutes later, the two sat at their small kitchenette table, steaming cups of coffee in hand.

"Okay, I think I'm at least somewhat functional now, do you want to go first or should I?" Sulu asked.

Chekov, literally a kid on Christmas morning, was buzzing with anticipation, "I vill!"

Chekov got up from his chair and went over to him and Sulu's make-shift tree. It wasn't exactly a _tree_ per say, but rather a three foot tall fern that Sulu had been growing in one of his botany labs. They had decorated it sparingly with red and silver tinsel, one small strand of white lights, and a small star adorned (kind of) at the top.

Underneath there were two wrapped gifts. A square one and an oblong lumpy one.

Chekov bent down and grabbed the medium sized square package and placed it in front of Sulu.

Sulu pulled the ribbon off the package and began to tear off the wrappings until the gift was revealed.

An honest to god hardcover _paper_ copy of Leo Tolstoy's _War and Peace_in its original Russian language sat in front of Sulu.

When Sulu didn't say anything right away, Chekov got a little worried.

"It eez ok if you do not like it, I know zat it eez in Russian, but it eez a Classic. I can alvays—"

"Pav, its _awesome._" Sulu interrupted him. "I've read it before in English, but this is amazing, its been a long time since I've held a real book. Thank you."

Chekov gave him a small smile in return, relieved his gift was well received.

Sulu went over to the tree and grabbed the other gift. It was almost a foot tall, but oddly wrapped, it looked as if it were some kind of soft object.

"I uh wasn't sure what to get you, I really couldn't think of anything besides maybe running socks for a while. But I hope you'll like it."

Chekov reached up and pulled the paper off the top to reveal a small potted plant. He stared at it for a moment, then cautiously sniffed at it.

"Zhis is Chamomile?"

"Yup. I grew it in one of my labs this month. I figured since it's the national flower of Russia and all, you might enjoy it."

"At home," Chekov began, "we haf a huge field of Chamomile near our house. My mozer would alvays make us ze most delicious tea from it. Zhis is perfect 'Karu. Zhank you."

"Of course, just make sure you give water, and you might want to keep it on your window sill. It needs a little bit of sun every day."

Chekov nodded his head and walked across the room and placed plant right where Sulu had recommended. It seemed to fit the room perfectly.

"And now," Sulu announced as his stomach gave a small growl, "we go eat breakfast and then head over to my Mom's house. Sound good?"

"Da."

/

1300 hours found Sulu and Chekov walking into Sulu's family home. Chekov was still quite nervous to meet Sulu's family, but he was excited nonetheless.

"Hikaru!" exclaimed a small Asian woman that Chekov could only assume was Sulu's Mom.

"I've missed you!" she said pulling him into a big hug. "I swear you get bigger every time you come home!"

"Good to see you too Mom. Merry Christmas!"

Sulu's Mother finally let Sulu out of her firm grasp.

"And this must be your roommate." She said gesturing to Chekov who was still hovering outside the open front door. Quickly he stepped forward.

"Hello Mam," he said politely. "I am Pavel Chekov. Zhank you for inviting me over today, Sulu has told me many good things about you."

Mrs. Sulu beamed at him.

"Well, Pavel, that's very sweet of you. When Sulu told us your parents would be gone for the holidays, we were more than happy to have the company."

Chekov looked over at Sulu and made brief eye contact, expressing his gratitude that he had not told his mother the real truth as to why he had not gone home for the break.

"And please, call me Yoshiko."

Not soon after, two young girls, about 10 and 12 years old came running around the corner, followed by a slightly older man. Chekov mused these were Sulu's sisters and Father.

"'Karu! Karu!" the girls squealed, delighted at seeing their older brother.

Sulu bent down and gave both of his little sisters' hugs. "I've missed you girls!"

Straightening back up he turned his attention to his father. "Hey Dad,"

"Hikaru." Said the older man.

He wrapped his hug in a somewhat stiff, but loving hug. "It's been a while. You'll have to catch us all up on life at the Academy. Is this your roommate?"

Sulu faced Chekov. "Yeah. Dad this is my roommate Pavel Chekov. Pavel this is my Dad, Hosato."

Hosato gave Chekov a slight bow. "Welcome to our home, young Mister Chekov."

"Zhank you for hawing me Sir."

Sulu's Mom walked over the group and shooed them all into the dining room, "Let's eat already, it is Christmas after all."

Chekov walked into the dining room and was completely overwhelmed. An ornate, oval shaped wooden table sat in the middle of the room, with a large crystal chandelier hanging overhead. The table itself was draped in a deep red table cloth, with half a dozen tall white candles burning on it.

As for the food, it looked better than anything he had eaten in months. A large honey glazed ham was the centerpiece of the meal, surrounded by dishes of mashed potatoes, strange looking rice, three different types of salads, rolls, gravy, and something that Chekov thought was seafood.

"Please, please grab a seat." Yoshida gestured widely at the table.

Sulu dragged Chekov by the arm to two chairs on one side of the table, while his two sisters sat opposite of him, and a parent at each end.

"This looks great, Mom."

Chekov spoke up as well, "Yes, it all looks wery delicious."

"Thank you, dear. Now, let's all eat up before any of this food gets cold!"

Over the next two hours, Chekov and the Sulu's devoured plate after plate of food, while making small talk about their lives and details of the academy. Sulu's sisters in particular seemed to have a lot of questions for Chekov.

"So Pavel," chirped Hikaru's youngest sister Dani. "How old are you? Aren't you kind of young to be at the academy?"

"Dani! Do not be rude to our guest," Yoshida reprimanded her.

"What? I was just curious."

Chekov chuckled a little, "It eez okay, I do not mind ze questions."

He looked over at Dani. "I am ze youngest cadet to ever apply or be accepted to the academy."

He swore Dani's eyes got as big as saucers.

"I alvays knew I vas smart, I started doing adwanced calculations at a wery young age. Perhaps by age 5 I could do Calculus. I vent through an accelerated high school and zhen I vent off to University to study vhen I was about ten."

"You were already in University at my age?" interrupted Yuki, Sulu's twelve year old sister.

"Yes I vas. It vas nice to learn new zhings there. It vas a new challenge for me. But I haf alvays loved ze stars, so after I finished University I decided to apply to Starfleet."

"That' so cool!" Yuki said.

Cool. That was one word for it.

"Mr. Chekov," Sulu's father interrupted, "What did your parents think of you joining Starfleet?"

"Zhey…I zink zhey they didn't take it too vell at first. Zhey zink zat I am too young, but they accepted it in the end."

Hosato merely nodded. His face was unreadable.

"Pavel dear, what occupation do you desire to have once you graduate?" Yoshida asked kindly.

"I am not sure yet. I haf been thinking either nawigator or possibly working with the transporters."

"I bet you anything he'll end up being a navigator," Sulu said. "you should see the Stellar Cartography work that kid does. By the time he graduates he'll be the best navigator Starfleet has ever seen."

Chekov blushed a deep shade of crimson.

"Sulu eez just saying zat. I am not zat good."

"But you will be Pav."

Chekov just shrugged a shoulder in return.

The evening continued with some very tasty pie that Yoshida had made, followed by a few rounds of hot chocolate.

As they sat in the living room, wrapping up the evening, Chekov noticed an impressive sword mounted on the wall. He was curious about it.

"Mr. Sulu," he asked turning toward Hosato, "vhere did you get zat sword? It is wery interesting."

Sulu glanced at his father, who was staring up at the sword with a strange look in his eye.

"It is actually a Katana, Mr. Chekov. My family has been involved in swordsmanship for many generations, as Hikaru may have mentioned."

Chekov cast a curious glance at Sulu. Chekov knew he was a fencer, but he and Sulu never really swapped back storied of their lives before.

"About ten years ago, my family and I lived on a Colony called Ganjitsu. It was a beautiful young colony, a truly gorgeous world. I was working there at the time. For a few years, all was peaceful, but there was always a strong Federation presence there, as the Colony was on the edge of the Neutral Zone."

He took a long breath before continuing.

"In 2248, Klingons attacked Ganjitsu. Our family was put directly in danger. We had to follow the procedures for an emergency evacuations. Klingons were attacking our city, looking to attack the Biological research labs. I was working there at the time. The Klingons came, they murdered ten people at my lab alone, before I was able to kill the two that were trying to steal our research. It was that Katana," he nodded towards the wall "that I stopped them with."

"It was a difficult time for our family, a harrowing experience. However we left the Colony and settled back in San Francisco. That Katana remains up there as a reminder to me of the good and bad in the world."

Chekov sat there speechless. He had no idea that Sulu had even lived off planet, let alone a Colony along the Neutral Zone that had been attacked. It was a lot to process.

"I am sorwy you had to experience that Sir."

"It's quite alright, Mr. Chekov."

Sensing the lull in conversation, along with a slight awkwardness in the air, Hikaru decided now might be a good time to leave.

He stood up from his spot on the couch.

"Well, Mom, I think Chekov and I better get going. It's getting late and the campus gates lock at 2200."

Yoshida mirrored Sulu and rose from the couch as she walked over to wrap him in her arms once more, "Thank you for coming Hikaru, I feel like I don't see enough of you these days. Take care of yourself."

Then a little quieter, "Look after Chekov too, he's still just a boy."

"I will." Sulu said, still wrapped in the hug.

"That's my boy. Merry Christmas Hikaru."

Releasing Sulu, she turned over to Chekov and caught him by surprise by hugging him too. Though unexpected, Pavel felt slightly overcome with emotion at the gesture. It reminded him strongly of his own mother. He felt a pang of sadness rip through him.

"So nice to meet you Pavel, I hope you will come around again."

"Zhank you for having me," he replied.

One by one the rest of the family said their good-byes as well. Dani and Yuki hugging both the boys, and Hosato giving them each a firm hand shake.

"Bye guys, love you all!" Sulu said as he shut the door with a wave.

"Nice to meet you all, Happy Christmas," Chekov added.

The two caught a transport back to the academy and happily made their way back to their dorm, exhausted and ready to get some sleep.

It wasn't until they were both lying in bed until Sulu spoke up,

"So, what'd you think of my family?"

"Zhey are all wery nice, especially your mozer. Your father eez quiet, but kind. I did not know about you living on zhe Colony."

Sulu cleared his throat before speaking up, "Yeah, it isn't exactly my fondest memory. I mean prior to everything the Colony was great, but I just don't like to think back about that day a lot. I think it sort of changed my Dad, made him more reserved. I dunno, I was so young at the time, it was pretty scary for me."

"I can imagine."

"Yeah, anyways, I'm beat so I'm gonna get some sleep. Merry Chritmas, Pav."

"Merry Christmas, 'Karu."

A/N: Woah another update? That's crazy right? Anyway I just want to thank each of you who reviewed this story, it means so much to hear all of the positive feedback. So thank you, thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

After a short reprieve during the month long winter break, it wasn't long before Sulu and Chekov were thrown back into their spring semester at the Academy. While the Fall semester had certainly been busy, it was _nothing _ in comparison to the upcoming spring. With most of his mandatory classes out of the way, Chekov was finally diving into some of his more intense major courses, almost all of them advanced courses at that. He sat in his room, the Sunday before classes began, just gazing at the schedule on his PADD, trying to workout all the textbooks and other materials he would need for the semester.

"Wow..." Sulu whistled in a low tone, glancing over at Chekov's PADD. "That's one hell of a schedule."

SPRING SCHEDULE: **Chekov, Pavel A. –Cadet First Class**

BTECH 210-_Beam Technology (Advanced)_

ASIC 223-_Astrosciences (Advanced)_

ASTROG 201-_Astronavigation_

STELL 251-_Stellar Cartography II_

PMECH 274-_Probability Mechanics (Advanced)_

Chekov still staring at his PADD hummed in agreement, "Da, it eez a tough one, but it vill be good to get into some of zhe harder classes now, and be done vith ze eenglish class."

Sulu chuckled at that last part, "You and that English class, it cracks me up man."

"My standard eez perfectly good now, don't you zhink?"

"Yeah, I mean your accent is still strong, but otherwise good."

"Vell I like my accent, Russians inwented accents you know."

"Huh-uh, I'm sure"

"Vhat eez your schedule this semester 'Karu?"

"Busy, just like yours. Here take a look." Sulu said tossing his PADD at Pavel.

Chekov caught the PADD with ease and looked down at the course list.

SPRING SCHEDULE: **Sulu, Hikaru-Cadet First Class**

ASTPH 200-_Advanced Astrophysics_

ABOT 310-_Advanced Botany_

FLT 202- _Flight Control_

HTHB-_Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat_

"Eez not too bad with only four classes, right?"

Sulu gave him an exasperated stare from across the room.

"It may only be four classes, but for one, flight control meets four days a week, for four hours. It's a big step up from my piloting classes last semester, plus we'll have more time in space by the end of the semester. And on top of that I started the Swordsmanship Club which meets twice a week for fencing, so that's going to take up a lot of my time too, since I'll have to be doing most of the planning for that."

Chekov frowned slighty at that. He had hoped Sulu would be around more often, as he was the only one Chekov could really hang out with, go to dinner with, and so on and so forth. Maybe he would meet other friends in his new navigation courses. Maybe? Hopefully? He still was having to deal with the other Cadets who bullied him, though those numbers were a lot less when Sulu was around.

"Chekov? Chekov! Hello Earth to Pavel?"

"Vhat?"

"Dude did you hear anything I just asked you?" Sulu said.

"Uh, no sorwy, I blanked out for a minute." Chekov said, cheeks reddening.

"Vhat did you say?"

"I was just asking if you were planning on joining any clubs? Or extracurriculars this semester?"

Huh. Chekov hadn't even thought about it.

"Umm," he started, "I do not know yet, I vill have to see if I like any of zhem."

"Okay, yeah you should think about it. I'm sure there's something out there you'd like."

"Da, I am sure I vill find something!" Chekov stated with false hope in his voice.

"Anyways, I'm starving," Sulu said hopping off his bed. "wanna grab some dinner in the mess?"

As if on que, Chekov's stomach gave a low growl.

"Yes, I zhink my stomach is wery hungry!" Chekov giggled. He was still 14 after all, he was almost always hungry.

"Your stomach is a bottomless pit, I swear. Let's go." Sulu replied.

The two headed out of their dorm, on the last Sunday before the craziness of the semester started up.

Chekov and Sulu had, unfortunately, been right in there assumptions about the spring semester. It made the fall look like high school. Chekov, who was only taking five classes, had nearly double the amount of coursework than he had the previous semester. While his grades were still impeccable, he was spending more time studying than he had used to, not that that really bothered him. He enjoyed his studies. He had taken Sulu's advice too, and tried to find a club to join, only to see that no club really wanted him. Most Cadets either didn't like Chekov, or completely babied him, and it seemed no one wanted to be his friend or accept him in a social environment. So instead of a club, Chekov turned to tutoring other students. The people who came to him were reluctant at first, but once they realized how much he understood about virtually every subject, he found a good group of people to work with every week. These people weren't exactly his friends _per say, _but they were people who paid him well, so Chekov wasn't going to argue with that.

It was annoying to Chekov, however, that he had barely even seen Sulu since the semester started, which was saying something considering they lived together. The two of them had only had dinner twice together since the semester had started a month ago. Twice! Chekov really only saw his friend when he went to sleep. And thanks to his flight class and fencing club Sulu got home late and left the room early. And Chekov wouldn't be so bothered by all of this if it weren't for Sulu's dumb new friends he had met through his flight class. The people in his flight squadron spent so much time together in class that they all become fast friends, and now that's seemingly all Sulu has had time for.

Though his mood was soured with all of these thoughts, he was pleasantly surprised to see Sulu home when he arrived back to the dorm.

Sulu glanced up when Chekov walked in, "Hey man."

"Hello," Chekov greeted. "I am surprised to see you here."

Sulu frowned, "I mean, I live here."

Chekov tossed his bag on the floor and sat on the edge of his bed facing Sulu.

"Da, but you are nevwer here anymore. Alvays buzy vith your piloting frie—course." Chekov corrects himself, not wanting to bring Sulu's friends into it.

Sulu, doesn't miss what Chekov had been starting to say.

"I mean yeah, I'm busy with course all the time, and I've made some new friends. That's a healthy thing its good to go out there and meet new people Pavel. Maybe you should try it."

"Oh good, vell I am glad you haf been out making new friends. Congrats for that," Pavel replies in a cynical tone "nevwermind that you and I don't hangout anymore."

"We _live _together Pavel. I can't not hang out with you."

"That's not vhat I mean Hikaru, and you know it! Ve newver go eat dinner or go running or do anything together anymore. Not now that you haf your new special pilot friends!"

Sulu crosses his arms and stares at Chekov, "Really, that's what this about, you're jealous of me making new friends? That's ridiculous."

"No! You just don't make time to hang out vith me anymore!"

"So you're jealous."

"Nyet, I'm not jealous. You haf just not been a good friend lately!"

Sulu stands up from his desk, genuinely pissed off now "I haven't been a good friend? You really want to go there? Yeah right Chekov. You shouldn't even be complaining right now considering I'm your _only friend. _It's not my fault no one else wants to be friends with a freakishly smart fourteen year old!"

Sulu hears Chekov's sharp intake of breath and immediately regrets his words.

"Vell, if zat is how you feel zhen I vill not burden you vith being the only person who is 'friends vith a freakishly smart fourteen year old'"

With that Chekov picks up his bag again and storms out of the room. Sulu can see the tears gathering in his eyes.

"Chekov, no wait! I didn't mean that!" he calls after him. "Fuck, Chekov come back!"

Its too late though, Chekov has already started running.

Pavel takes off running from his dorm, backpack and all, trying to keep his childish tears from spilling over. He runs through the gates of campus towards to bridge, and just keeps running. Running is the only way he can feel at ease. He runs hard and fast, like he's trying to escape from himself. He relishes in the feeling of the icy air burning into his lung with each breath he takes. It's cold and numbing outside, just how he wants it to feel. He focuses on his feet hitting the ground with each stride and nothing else, willing the pain in his heart to go away. He runs for nearly three hours straight until he finally returns to campus after dark. He feels empty inside. The soft glow of the campus lights seem to mock him. What was starting to feel like his safe haven now feels more like a jail. He musters up the courage to walk into his dorm, praying that Sulu won't be in the room.

Luckily, someone out there is listening to him as he finds the room empty. He peels out of his clothes, soaked with sweat, and takes a long hot shower before crawling into bed. He pulls the blankets all the way up to his neck and just lies awake thinking for several hours until he hears Sulu come home. Chekov feigns sleep as Sulu goes to bed, not wanting to even acknowledge the other man. A stressed silence fills the room as Chekov eventually succumbs to sleep.

February and March pass slowly for Chekov. He and Sulu have still not made up since their big fight. Words spoken between the two are short, and only if absolutely necessary. Chekov sees Sulu less and less, too. He spends more nights away from the dorm, either out partying or crashing at one of his piloting friend's place.

Chekov, in turn, throws himself fully into his studies and running. He goes for runs twice a day now, and pushes himself to go fast than ever. He's tries to average ten to twelve miles everyday. His grades are higher than they've ever been, he's been breaking the curve on every exam he's taken this semester. It drives the rest of his classmates crazy, and pisses off a good amount of them too. They try to come after him sometimes, but Chekov is so much faster than them now, it's almost trival to watch the other cadets come after him. This only pisses off his classmates more, but Chekov doesn't have it in him to be bothered.

Socially, Pavel knows he's at a low point. He doesn't eat at the mess anymore, only sticking to the replicator from his room. The only social interaction he has with others comes from the students he tutors throughout the week, and the conversation there is strictly academic. He has no one to go on a run with, eat with, or explore with. He's never quite felt so alone.

One day in late March he's sitting at his desk, prepping for the first of his four midterms in the upcoming week when Sulu comes in much to Pavel's surprise.

Chekov straightens up, "Hello." He says cordially.

"Hi."

Sulu sort of stands in the entry way, a little unsure of his next move. It's been a while since the two have been together in the room while they're both awake.

"Um, how is midterm studying going?" Sulu asks.

"Fine."

"Listen, Chekov.." Sulu begins.

"Please Hikaru. I need to study. I promise I vill not deestract you vith my childish vays."

"You're being an asshole Chekov."

"Vhatever, like you say, I am just a freakish child. Now please I need quiet to study."

"Fine .I'll go study in the library with my pilot friends," Sulu said heading back out the door. "the ones who actually behave like cadets."

Chekov didn't even bother responding as he heard the door hiss shut.

Monday brought his first midterm in his Beam Technology class, which he was confident he got over 100% on. It was Tuesday he was worried about however, he had two midterms back to back, that he had to ace.

His morning exam went better than he expected it to. One down, one to go, Chekov thought as he returned to the dorm for a short break between exams. He was nearly mowed down by Sulu as he walked through the door.

"Sorry!" Sulu shouted over his shoulder as he breezed by Chekov. "I've got my piloting midterm to get to!"

Chekov muttered a halfhearted good luck without even turning around to acknowledge him.

Chekov turned to the replicator to get a chicken sandwich and some chips for his lunch, along with some coffee, as he pulled out his notes for Stellar Cartography, he knew it'd probably be his most difficult midterm.

Chekov studied hard for another two hours before he decided he needed to leave for the exam. He felt more confident after reviewing everything again. Trying not to act outwardly nervous, he walked to the classroom.

Two hours later he left the exam room feeling rather pleased about his performance. He wasn't sure he got the second bonus question right, but other than that he was sure he had gotten every question right.

He headed back home to relax a little, vaguely wondering if Sulu was going to be there when he got back. He knew he had had his piloting midterm that afternoon, but Chekov also knew that was his only final today (He absolutely did not check when Sulu's midterms were. That would be weird, of course). Knowing Sulu, he was out with his flying squadron celebrating being finished with their exam.

As he was walking back towards Discovery Hall, he noticed a large number of people gathered around the holoscreens in the main mess hall. This was not necessarily uncommon, people gathered in front of them whenever there was a big game or news story going on. Chekov decided to walk by the mess briefly to see what everyone was looking at. He was a curious person by nature. Unfortunately for Chekov, he was so short in the mess of cadets, he couldn't quite get a good view of the screen.

He turned to the cadet nearest him, a woman he recognized who also lived in his hall, and tapped her on the shoulder, he thought her name was Uhura, but he couldn't be sure.

"Excuse me, vhat is going on?"

He turned and glanced down at him.

"Didn't you hear? Two of the training shuttle crashed into each other today," she paused for a moment, "Isn't your roommate Sulu in that class?"

Suddenly Chekov could only hear the sound of his own heart beat and the blood rushing in his head.

Sulu. Shuttle Crash. Sulu. Shuttle Crash.

"Did…did any of zhe cadets die?" He asked quietly.

The older cadet looked at him with pity, "No," she said softly. "Thank God."

"Da, zhank God." Chekov released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

He stepped back from the crowd and sent a message on his PADD to Sulu, after all he didn't even know if Sulu was one of the shuttles involved in the crash.

To: hsulu  
From: pchekov  
Subject: Shuttle Crash

Sulu, I have just heard about the shuttle's crashing. Are you okay? Was that your shuttle? Please respond soon.

-Pavel

Chekov chewed on his lip and hoped that Sulu would send him a message back saying he was okay. However, after thirty nerve wracking minutes passed with no word from Sulu, Chekov decided to investigate for himself. He couldn't stand not knowing.

He hoped on the quickest transbay shuttle to Starfleet General Hospital.

Chekov quickly went through the front doors of the Hospital and walked up to the front desk.

The woman working glanced up and noticed Chekov, "Can I help you dear?"

"I vas vondering eef you could tell me who vas inwolwed in zhe shuttle craft accident? I can't get ahold of my roommate, he eez in the course."

"I'm afraid I can't do that sweetie, unless you're family I cannot tell you any personal information."

"Please, I just vant to make sure he is okay."

"I'm sorry."

"But—"

"Chekov!" a voice called out.

Chekov whipped his head around to see who was calling to him. In a waiting area around the corner sat Sulu's mother.

Chekov hurried over to her. "Mrs. Sulu! Vhat happened? Is Hikaru okay? I just heard about zhe crash. I came over here to see him but zhey won't tell me anything and Sulu and I haff been fighting lately. Vhat if he eez really hurt and ve never made up and I'm sure he hates me now and I vant to say sorwy.."

"Chekov," Yoshiko said.

"..and that, that fight vas stupid.."

"Chekov!"

"..and I vas jealous and zhat he vas right and.."

"Chekov! Shh, its okay."

"But I.."

"Hikaru will be okay, okay?" she said reaching to pull him into a hug.

"Let's sit down."

Chekov sat down next to him trying to calm himself back down from the edge of hysteria.

Yoshiko kept an arm around the young boy and began to speak. "It was a malfunction in one of the thrusters in the other shuttle. They were coming back over the city in a tight formation and the shuttlecraft next to Hikaru lost control and crashed into him without warning. It was genuinely an accident. Hikaru and the other pilot are both pretty banged up, but they're going to be okay."

Chekov took a deep breath, "Okay, can ve see him soon?"

"He's in surgery now, but the doctor will come get us when he wakes up."

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the Doctor finally came out to talk to them.

"Mrs. Sulu?"

Yoshiko nodded.

The Doctor extended his hand, "I'm Doctor McCoy, Trauma Specialist here at Starfleet General."

Chekov recognized the man as a fellow cadet, the Doctor that was always hanging around Cadet Kirk.

"Sulu went through surgery just fine. His injuries were pretty extensive: He had a three broken ribs, one of which punctured a lung, broke his right arm in two places, and a grade three concussion, but luckily no brain bleeding. He's undergoing the first rounds of stim treatment, then you can go ahead and see him. With no unforeseen complications he should be out of here by Friday."

"Thank you so much Doctor. I'm glad to know my boy will be okay." She smiled warmly at the man.

"It's my job Ma'am. I'll have a nurse let you know when he's finished with treatment."

Chekov lets Mrs. Sulu go in first to see Hikaru. He wants to make sure they get a chance to talk privately first. When she finally exits his room forty five minutes after she first went in, he's relieved to see she is smiling.

"He wants to see you," she says.

"He does?"

"Yes, sweetheart, go ahead in."

Chekov nods at her, takes a deep breath to steady himself, and walks into the room.

The sight of Sulu lying in the biobed nearly breaks his heart. He is propped up several pillows, covered in different tubes with his entire arm encompassed in a cast, not to mention he's covered from head to toe in colorful bruises of varying sizes. Frankly, he looks horrible.

"Hi," Chekov mutters quietly.

"Hey Pavel."

Neither one is sure of what to say next. Chekov sort of just sways nervously while Sulu picks at the sheets on his bed with his good arm. The room is silent for a good minute until,

"I'm so sorwy Hikaru. I acted like a child and I should not haf. I vas jealous, and eet vas stupid of me. Please forgiwe me."

"No Pav, I'm sorry. Jesus. I was such an asshole to you. You're right, I wasn't spending time with you. I got caught up in so much other stuff, it wasn't right of me. And I miss spending time with you."

Chekov perked up at that. "You do?"

"Yeah, of course. You're my best friend." He says with a smile.

"I've missed you 'Karu." Chekov says, finally walking over to give Sulu a very delicate hug. They embrace for a few seconds, and Chekov pulls a chair from the corner next to the biobed.

"So are you really okay 'Karu? I vas so scared."

"Yeah, I mean that was scary as fuck, but I'll be okay in a few days."

"Good, wery good. Zhen maybe we can start running again soon?" Chekov asks hopefully. "Vhen you are completely healed of course."

"Only if you promise to slow down for me!"

He and Sulu both laugh it at that, Sulu wincing slightly as the motion pulls on his injured ribs.

"Sorwy!" Chekov exclaims.

"Don't worry man, it's nice to laugh again with you."

"Da, same." Pavel grins, "So tell me vhat happened out there?"

Sulu takes a breath, "So this other pilot, Greg Schultz, total dick by the way…."

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates the past two months guys. The death of Anton Yelchin caught me so off guard and completely broke my heart. May he rest in peace. That being said, I loved Beyond so much, so I'm so overjoyed about the movie (I may have seen it 3 times already) and hopefully I can get another update out before the end of this month.


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